This application is based upon and claims priority of Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-252732 filed on Sep. 7, 1999, No. 11-281462 filed on Oct. 1, 1999, No. 2000-218969 filed on Jul. 19, 2000 and No. 2000-218970 filed on Jul. 19, 2000, the contents being incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for a computer or an amusement game, and to a detector for detecting a position or an attitude of a target.
2. Description of Related Art
In this field of the art, various types of Graphical User Interface have been proposed for a computer or an amusement game.
For example, a Graphical User Interface on a wide screen display has been proposed for the purpose of a presentation or the like, in which a projector is connected to a computer for projecting a display image on a wide screen so that a number of audience may easily appreciate the presentation. In this case, a laser pointer or the like is prepared for pointing an object such as an icon or a text on the wide screen to input a command relating to the object pointed by the laser pointer.
In an amusement such as a shooting game, on the other hand, a scene including an object is presented on a cathode ray tube display of a game machine under a control of a computer. A user remote from the display tries to aim and shoot the object with a gun, and the game machine judges whether or not the object is successfully shot.
For the purpose of the above mentioned Graphical User Interface, it has been proposed to fixedly locate a CCD camera relative to the screen for detecting a bright spot on the wide screen caused by a laser beam to thereby detect the position of the bright spot on the screen.
It has been also proposed to prepare a plurality of light emitting elements on the screen in the vicinity of the projected image for the purpose of analyzing at a desired place the intensities and directions of light received from the light emitting elements to detect a position of a target on the screen.
However, there have been considerable problems and disadvantages still left in the related art, such as in seeking freedom or easiness in use, accuracy or speed in detection and size or cost in the practical product.
Laid-open Patent Application Nos. 2-306294, 3-176718, 4-305687, 6-308879, 9-231373 and 10-116341 disclose various attempts in this field of art.
In order to overcome the problems and disadvantages, the invention provides a graphical user interface for generating an interface signal with a target on a display aimed. In the graphical user interface, an image sensor has an image plane on which an image of the display including characteristic points is formed, a point of the image formed at a predetermined position of the image plane corresponding to the target. A processor calculates the position of the target on the display relative to the characteristic points on the basis of the output of the image sensor including the information of the positions of the characteristic points. And the interface signal is generated with the position of the target calculated. Thus, the interface signal is generated at any desired place remote from the display.
According to another feature of the invention, aiming device is provided for helping the image sensor to form the image of the display with the target in coincidence with the predetermined position.
According to still another feature of the invention, a controller orders the image sensor to take the image of the display. More specifically, the controller is designed to order the image sensor to take one image in response to a manual operation Alternatively, the controller is designed to order the image sensor to take a series of images in succession.
According to a further feature of the invention, the processor for calculating the position of the target includes an image processor for identifying the positions of the characteristic points on the image plane. The processor further includes a first processor for calculating a first data on the basis of the positions of the characteristic points on the image plane. Finally the processor includes a second processor for calculating a second data on the basis of the first data and the positions of the characteristic points on the image plane. The position of the target on the display is detected on the basis of the second data.
The above mentioned feature is not only useful in Graphical User Interface, but also in detecting the position of a target point or the attitude of a three-dimensional object in general.
In the invention, the information of attitude of the object is utilized by the position detection, and then by Graphical User Interface. In terms of the position detection or Graphical User Interface, the target point should be aimed for detection. However, any specific target point need not be aimed in the case of solely detecting the attitude of an object as long as the image of necessary characteristic points of the object are formed on the image sensing plane.
According to another feature of the invention, the output of the image sensor is transmitted to an outside processor for a calculation of the position of the target. This is advantageous in utilizing graphical user interface in a computer or a shooting game.
According to a further feature of the invention, a projector projects an image including characteristic points on a screen acting as the display, and the image on the screen is received by the image sensor. In this case, the position sensing is successful even if an optical axis of the projector is inclined with respect to the screen.